“Fat Cat” is also a Lucky One

A woman in Chicago decided that when she died her cat, Boots, would be put to sleep. The woman, Georgia Lee Dvorak, was described by people who knew her as an animal lover. In fact, she bequested her entire estate, $1.3 million dollars, to several animal charities, and she rescued Boots the Cat from an abusive home. A friend of Dvorak told CBS Chicago that Dvorak was worried that if something were to happen to her Boots might return to an abusive home. She thought that putting the cat to sleep was the only alternative.

Luckily, for this kitty, the executor of the estate asked the judge to set aside the language in Ms. Dvorak’s will. The judge agreed with the executor that they should not euthanize a healthy animal. The executor, Fifth Third Bank, arranged for Boots to go a home for cats. If an owner wants to leave an animal the care that it needs after the owner’s death, then the owner might want to consider establishing a trust (Pet Trust) for the animal’s care.

See Sabrina Winters, The Luckiest Cat Alive!, North Carolina Legacy Planning Information, Apr. 13, 2012; see also Curiosity Saved The Cat: Judge Blocks Execution of Feline, CBS Chicago, Apr. 11, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.